Baths are for the Birds

Just a fun little photo sequence today! Many of you know that Nolan has been very uncooperative about bathing since the beginning of the year. We now accomplish the task with me climbing in the tub clothed, holding Nolan, and my mom on hand to scrub him down while he clings to me for dear life. Any other set-up results in much stress and screaming bloody murder, and I end up just as wet anyway because he scales me like a tree. You’d think the child was part-cat.

As it turns out, he might be part-bird instead! There are several bird baths in my parents’ back yard, and Nolan keeps splashing his fingers in the water. Today he tried to push all the water out of the basin with his fingers and/or water the lilies-of-the-valley underneath. He ended up soaked from the chest down, and didn’t appear to mind one little bit. Before we had the camera outside, he even stuck his forehead in the water several times! So maybe bathtime won’t be traumatic forever. 🙂

Update 6/25/11: The bath-time saga, which started on January 5th of this year, has finally come to a resounding conclusion. Since writing this post, Nolan has started enjoying his bath so much that he tries to climb in the tub even before we can get his clothes off, no adult company required. He splashes and kicks like crazy, dousing the entire bathroom in water; he chases bubbles and tries to stick his chin into them and sucks water off his fingers; he spins around and sometimes even slides onto his belly for the fun of it. He still seems just a tad anxious when I have to wet his hair to wash it, but no crying in sight. When the water finally got cold, he climbed out of the tub on his own with the help of a step-stool and right into the towel I had waiting for him—and then proceeded to be so energized that he jumped on his bed, my bed, and my mom’s bed, and wanted me to help him do flips!